KHAIRPUR, Oct 8: The chief of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Altaf Hussain, has expressed resentment over financial disparity suffered by Sindh and non-payment of royalty to Sindh on account of oil, gas and coal production.

The Muttahida chief was speaking to the participants of an election meeting here at Phool Bagh.

Referring to the financial incongruity, Altaf Hussain said that despite having produced vast amounts of oil, gas and coal the province was deprived of royalties and on top of it the oil and gas companies were reluctant to give jobs to the local people.

Talking about financial irregularities in the district funds, the Muttahida chief said that the people of Khairpur were still deprived of basic amenities despite millions of rupees spent on the so-called beautification schemes.

He said that funds, allocated for the beautification of the city during the PPP government, were misappropriated. He called for recovering all the misappropriated money.

Khairpur, he said, was once the largest producer of dates but there were no date plants there now as the Abadgars were not encouraged to export their produce.

He promised that he will arrange plants as well as export licenses to the producers of dates.

The flags of JSQM and MQM flags were prominent at the venue of the public meeting and a large number of JSQM leaders and workers were also present on the occasion.

Our Dadu Correspondent Adds: The MQM chief, Altaf Hussain, accused the feudal lords of duping the masses, saying the people had been deprived of their voices in the assemblies.

He was addressing participants of public meetings in Kotri and Dadu towns on Monday night.

Altaf Hussain said that Asia’s largest water reservoir — Manchhar Lake — had turned into a pool of brackish water because of water flowing from the Punjab’s MNV drain.

Criticising the decision to sack 1,250 workers of the Dadu Sugar Mill, he said that people were facing starvation after the closure of the mill.